Hotel Transylvania

Rated NR2012

Adam Sandler voices Count Dracula in this corny children's animation that collects other notable horror figures from literature and folklore—including Steve Buscemi as a werewolf and Cee-Lo Green as a mummy—and places them in a monsters-only resort where they can gather without fear of human condemnation. Matters are complicated when a dim-witted backpacker (Andy Samberg) happens upon the hotel and falls for Dracula's daughter (Selena Gomez). Director Genndy Tartakovsky, TV animation bon vivant and creator of shows like Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, lends a cogent eye to the visuals, but any real inventiveness is undercut by a parochial 3-D design. Robert Smigel's bromidic script, when not doling out crude fart jokes and insipid sight gags, is indistinguishable from any number of overprotective dad/rebellious daughter stories.
ByDrew Hunt